Heat exchanger



Dec. 10, 1940. F. HORYNEY I 2,224,787

HEAT EXCHANGER Filed April 22, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 10, 1940. F;HORNEY HEAT EXCHANGER Filed.April 22, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PatentedDec. 10 1940 HEAT EXCHANGER Fred Horney, Stockholm, Sweden, assignor totiebolaget Ljungstriims Angturbin, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation ofSweden Application April 22, 1939, Serial No. 269,353 In Germany April13, 1938 Claims. (01. 257-6) This invention relates to a regenerativebeatexchanger having a rotor rotatable within a hous ing and supportingthe regenerative material which is traversed in radial direction by theheat- 5 exchanging media with the axis of the rotor preferably arrangedvertically. According to the present invention one, preferably theupper, face of the rotor is closed while the inlets and outlets for theheat-exchanging media are arranged so that one medium enters in a radialdirection and flows out in an axial direction whilst the other mediumenters in an axial direction and flows out in a radial direction.

A regenerative heat-exchanger thus constructed is advantageous inseveral respects. For ex ample, the preferably vertical rotor axis,especially when the upper face of the rotor is closed, may be supportedand driven in a very simple manner. Due to the fact that the temperatureof the heat-exchanging media at both ends is substantially the same andincreases or decreases uniformly towards the centre, the rotor has notendency to warp which in view of the several packing elements necessaryis of great advantage. As the rotor is submitted to only unimportantheat stresses, in the case where small amounts of the media exchangeheat or where only a small heat-exchange out-put is desired not only canthe axial and radial dimensions of the heat-exchanging mass be keptsmall but also the dimensions of the interior rotor may be small whichwith rotary heat-exchangers of known construction is not alwaysimmediately possible 35 in view of the heat stresses set up therein.

This construction of heat-exchanger also allows a simple adjustment ofthe housing relative to the rotor thus enabling the packing between thesaid members at the periphery of the rotor and at its fiat face to beadjusted exactly. The heat exchanger according to the invention may besimply constructed with the heat-exchanging material arranged incompartments disposed along the rotor periphery which are readilyexchangeable, for example for the purpose of cleaning the filling mass,without the necessity of removing any conduits or parts of the rotorandhousing. The'individual compartments may be removed from the rotorwithout special means. 50 such as rails and guides and'can also bereadily re-inserted in position.

A heat-exchanger constructed in the above mentioned manner has also theadvantage that the heat transferring plates comprising the re- 55generative filling mass may all be of the same dimensions whichsimplifies their construction and reduces their cost.

The invention will be hereinafter more fully described-with reference tothe accompanying drawings showing a regenerative heat-exchangerconstructed according to the invention and intended for pre-heating thecombustion air of steam boiler furnaces and in which:

Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section through the heat-exchangershown diagrammatically; 10

Fig. 2 is a plan-viewof the heat-exchanger;

Fig. 3 is a section through half the 'rotor with its respective housingmembers, on a larger scale;

Fig. 3a is a detail onlarger scale of a portion of the structure showninFig. 3; 1

Fig. 4 is a plan-view of a part of the rotor;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view-of one of the exchangeable compartments ofthe rotor;

Fig. 6 shows a detail.-

Referring to the drawings a preferably vertical impeller shaft 2 issupported in an axial and radial thrust bearing 4 and is set in rotationby means of an electric motor 6 with intermediate transmission 8. Thedriving unit and the rotor rest on a supporting structure I0, l2 whichis supported at M and I6. On a cylindrical hub l8 of the rotor axis arewelded radial partitions 20 which sub-divide the rotor into a number ofsectors. The partitions 20 are inter-connected at their periphery bybeing welded to rings 22 and 24 and are covered over at their upperedges by a plate 26. This plate, however, does not extend radially tothe peripheral edges of the partitions,

but leaves an annular part open through which compartments containingthe heat-exchanging mass can be removed or inserted. On its upper facethe casing is closed by aplate 28. The plate 28 has an opening 32closable by acover 30 which corresponds substantially to the dimensionsof aa compartment and through which the individual compartments of theseries can be removed or inserted. Each compartment containing theheat-exchanging mass consists of an upper part sectorshaped plate 34 anda similarly formed base plate 36 together with two side walls 38 and 40. By means of somewhat shorter intermediate panels 42, M and 46 eachcompartment is sub-divided into four divisions in which theheat-exchange mass is arranged in the manner shown in Fig. 5. For thesake of clearness in this figure only the space existing betweenthewalls 40 and 42 is filled with heat-exchanging material whichconsists of radially arranged vertical plates 48, 50 (if known type. I

As can be seen from Fig.-3 the base plate 38 is shorter than the plates40, 50 thus providing a ready downward discharge for the medium flowingthrough theplates. The plates 34 and 38 are welded to the lateral walls38'and 40 so as to form a unit containing the heat-exchange plateswhich-can be lifted out of the rotor by means of a handle 52 which issecured to' the plate 34. When the compartment is inserted in the rotorits upper plate 34 rests in the manner shown in Fig. 3 partly on thering 22 and partly on the -cover plate 26 and the compartment can,therefore, expand freely downwardly. The extent of movement of thecompartments and of the plates inserted therein is limited outwardly bythe rings 22 and 24' and inwardly by rings 54 and 56 which are welded tothe partitions 20.

The joints formed on the upper face between adjacent compartments areclosed by small plates 58, (it which each overlap two compartments butare connected with only one compartment so as to allow the separateremoval or insertion of the compartments.

Another form of packing is shown in Fig. 6 wherein the upper plates 34'and 34" of two adjacent compartments are provided with lateral strips 62and 64 respectively which overlap in the manner illustrated and renderthe compartments mutually air tight.

- The housing of the heat-exchanger is also suspended on the supportsIt, i2.- A T-shaped ring 66 is connected with these supports and carriesthrough an. adjustable connection a U-shaped ring 68, which isconnected-to the housing. The adjustable connection consists in thepresent embodiment of an eccentric or cam shaft 10 which is supported inthe T-ring and supports the U- ring and by the rotation of which theU-ring together with the entire housing can be raised or loweredrelatively to the supports l0, l2 and, therefore, also relatively to therotor.

A T-shaped ring 12 is connected with the U- ring 68 by means of a numberof vertical tubes 14. A cover plate, 16 provided with openings for thepassage of the heat-exchanging media is welded to-the- T-ring I2 andcarries connecting members 18 and 80 located on the undersurface of therotor and comprising channel-irons 82, 84,

86, 88 or 90, 92, 94 and 96 respectively. These 59 connecting supportsare not rigidly connected 6o fiangeof member 82.

with the plate 16 but are connected-by any suitable means permittinglongitudinal expansion of the connecting supports relative to the coverplate to avoid deformation of these members as a result 55 ofdifferential expansion due to temperature changes. One such arrangementis indicated in Fig. 3a wherein a bolt TI is shown welded to the lowerface of plate'lS, this bolt passing through an elongated opening or slot83 in the upper In order to permit sliding movement between thecontacting members while at the .same time maintaining them in closecontact so as to prevent leakage, the parts are held in proper relationby means of a spring 85 com- 5 pressed between suitable retainingwashers located between flange 83 and nut 8.1.

' The radial connecting sockets for the heat-exchanging media aredenoted by 98 and I00 and together with suitable light sheet, metalstruc- 70 ture secured thereto form a housing I02 of the pre-heater. v

The various packing devices for the heat-exchanger-are constructed asfollows. At the upper periphery of the rotor packing relatively to 75the housing 'iseflected by means of an annular justable and togetherwith the packing strips I08 prevent intermixing of the air and gas. Theradial partitions are also provided along their lower edges with packingplates I M which slide against the cover-plate 16. Finally a packingstrip H6 connected with the hub of the rotor is constructed of annularshape and also slides against the cover-plate 18.

The boiler waste gases pass through the socket 98 into the airpre-heater, flow in the direction of the arrows H8 in a radial directionthrough the heat-transferring plates and leavethe air-preheater throughthe outlet socket 18. The air to be pre-heated flows in an axialdirection through the socket 94 and passes through the heat-transferringplates in a radial direction in the direction of the arrow I20. As willbe seen the heatexchange is effected in counter-flow.

As will be seen from the-drawings the driving device for the rotor isarranged completely outside the channels and conduits for theheat-exchanging media, this construction difiering advantageously fromprior proposals wherein the driving device is arranged in the interiorof the rotor. I The compartments containing the heat-transferring platesin the illustrated embodiment are in the radial cross-section apart-sector shape with the side walls 38' and 40 arranged radially.Obviously when using corrugated plates 48, 50 the depth of thecorrugations should be reduced towards the centre of the rotor. However,the walls 38, 40 may also be arranged so as to lie parallel to oneanother in which case the depth of the corrugations of the-plates may beuniform throughout their entire breadth. In this arrangement there wouldresult between adjacent compartments empty wedge-shaped spaces, but thisconstruction has the advantage that the plates may be constructed moresimply and that they can be utilised for rotors of different radidimensions.

What; claim is:

1. A regenerative heat exchanger comprising a stationary casing, a rotormounted to rotate about a vertical axis in said casing, regenerativeheat exchange mass carriedby said rotor and providing passages extendingin generally radial direction therethrough, means providing a closurefor one end of said rotor, openings arranged in the means between saidrotor and said casing struc- .ture for establishing separate'paths offlow for different 'fluid media through said openings and saidpassagesfone of said paths of flow providing 'for axial admission to andradial exhaust from said exchanger of one fluid media and the other ofsaid passages providing for radial admission and axial exhaust from saidexchanger 09a second fluid media, and means for moving said rotor andeasing structure axially relative to each other to adjust" said sealingmeans.

- '2. A regenerative heat exchanger comprising a supporting structure, arotor rotatably suspended assets? from said supporting structure,acasing structure surrounding said rotor, said rotor being closed at itsupper end and carrying regenerative heat exchange mass providingpassages extending radially therethrough, said casing structure havingopenings in its side walls and in its lower end communicating with saidpassages, sealing means between said rotor and said casing structureproviding separate paths of now for difierent fluid media through saidopenings .and passages, and meansv for suspending said casing structurefrom said supporting structure, said means being adjustable to move thecasing structure axially relative to the rotor whereby to adjust saidsealing means.

3. In a regenerative heat exchanger of the character described, a rotormounted to rotate about a vertical axis, said rotor comprising aplurality of radially extending partitions providing sector-like spacestherebetween, a closure plate atthe upper end of the rotor for closingsaid spaces, the radially outer portion of said closure plate havingopenings therein and means for removabiy suspending regenerative heatexchange mass from the upper portion of the rotor, whereby to permitsaid mass to expand and contract freely in axial direction from itsplace of suspension, said means extending through said. openings andincludingparts forming closures for said openings when said means is inplace, whereby to effect closure of the entire end of the rotor.

4. In a regenerative heat exchanger, a casing structure including tworigid annular members axially spaced apart, a series of peripherallyspaced axially extending spacing elements rigidly connecting saidannular members, a rotor having a series of radially extendingpartitions and an end closure structure at one end thereof, said rotorhaving regenerative mass between said partitions providing passages forflow of heat exchange media therethrough in generally radial directionand being mounted to rotate within said casing structuregannular sealingmeans between a first one of said annular members and said end closurestructure, a casing end plate secured to the second one of said annularmembers and providing therewith a casing end structure, said end platehaving openings therein communicating with radially inner portions ofthe passages in said regenerative mass, annular sealing means betweenthe rotor and said casing end structure radially outside said-openings,andannular sealing means between the rotor and said casing end structureradially inside said openings.

5. In a regenerative heat exchanger, a' casing structure including tworigid annular members axially spaced apart, a series of peripherallyspaced axially extending spacing elements rigidly connecting saidannular members, a rotor having a series of radially extendingpartitions and an end closure structure at one end thereof, said rotorhaving regenerative mass between said partitions providing passages forflow of heat exchange media therethrough in generally radial directionand being mounted to rotate within said casing structure, annularsealing means between a first one of said annular members and said endclosure structure, a casing end plate secured to the second one of saidannular members and providing therewith a casing end structure, said endplate having openings therein communicating with radially inner portionsof the passages in said regenerative mass, annular sealing means betweenthe rotor and said casing end structure radially outside said openings,annular sealing means between the rotor and said casing end structureradially inside said openings, axially extending wall members carried bysaid casing structure, said wall members being spaced apartcircumferentially of said structure and having concave faces concentricabout the axis of the rotor, and sealing means carried by the axiallyextending'outer edges of the radial partitions'oi the rotor, the lastmentioned sealing means being adapted to provide a seal between eachpartition and the respective faces as the partition passes said faces.

FRED HORNEY.

